Car-coupling



j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHANIEL HALS'IED, OF SGRANTON, IENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,430, dated February 20, 1883.

ApplicationV filed December 15, IBS?. (No model.) l

To all whom t may concern:

. Be it known that I, NATHANIEL HALsTED,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new ,and useful Improvements in Safety Gar- CouplerS; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, referenc'ebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and 1i gures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of my invention 5 Fig. 2, a detail perspective View of the bif'urcated plate; Fig. 3, a similar view of thecoupling-lever; and Fig. 4, an under side plan View, showing the action of the lever. i

This invention relates to certain new and usefulimprovementsindevicesiorcouplingcars by the use of a hinged lever havingits handle extending out toward the side of the car; and the object of the present invention is to produce such a device that will be at once simple in its construction, easily and cheaply manufactored, effective in its operation, and readily applied to the bumpers of any car for raising the coupling-link to the desired height to enj ter the opposing draw-head withease and perfect safety to the brakeman or train-hand, thereby preventing the risk of life and limb, as said train-hand stands outside of the rail entirely away from the bumpers, also enabling the ready adjustment of the coupling-link by the lever to suit any difference of elevation there may be in the opposing draw-heads, while at the same time said lever will, when the handle is released of its own weight, drop under, and thus automatically bring said handle up against the bumper out ofthe way. These objects I attain bythe construction substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings, and hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A represents the bumper of a car, to whichwis suitably attached the bifurcated plate B,- having its bifurcations terminating in bearings a, b for the .journals c of a 1e- ,ver, C. These journals c have each an enlarged extension, d, so as'to prevent the sides 5o of the lever from coming in contact with the sides of the hearings and hold the lever at the zontal direction in order to allowalateral play to the journal therein, thereby giving the lever a longitudinal action in order to adjust the coupling-link tothe opposing draw-head when operated upon by its handle e, which is curved' in an outward direction toward the side of the car, so that the coupling of the cars may be eifectually performed .without the necessity of the brakeman or train-hand entering lietween said cars, thereby preventing the risk of his life and limb. The blade of the hingedor pivotal lever C is of a weight greater than the handle e, and is curved in the manner substantially as shown, in order to come under and adj ust the coupling-link D when said handle is operated. After the coupling has been effected and the handle released, the weighted lever, having one of its journals working free in the elongatedbearing b of the bifurcated plate B, falls of its own'weight under the drawhead and automatically brings said handle up against the bumper out of the Way, thereby rendering the lever self-adjusting and always ready for use.

The bifurcated plate B is intended to be cast or wrought in one piece, ot' the form substantially as shown, rendering the same readily attachable to the bumper of any car, while the lever C being also cast or wrought in one piecein the form and manner substantially as shown, the Whole device may be manufactured ata comparatively 'tritling cost, and by their use the coupling of cars rendered easy l and free from danger, and at the same time the brakeman or trainhand,`having no necessity to go between the cars, can always have the engine-driver in View and be ready for the interchange of the usual signals.

For use on carshaving the bumpers longer than those shownin the drawings, the lever may be bent up in such avmanner as to come under the draw-head Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim as newand desire to secure by IOO cations terminating in journal-bearings, one of said bearings being elongated in a horizontal direction, as shown, in combination with a suitableleverconnected thereto, and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In acar-couplng device, the plate B, having bifurcations terminating in the bearing a and the horizontally-clongated bearing b, in combination with the curved lever C, having a suitable handle, andjournals forattachment to the bifureated plate, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a car-coupling device, the bit'urcated plate B, having bearing a and horizontal elongated bearing b,ir1 combination with the lever x5 G, provided with handle e and journals c, said journals having enlarged extensions d, all arranged and operating in the manner snhstantially as described, and for the purpose set forth In testimony that I claim the above l have zo hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

NATHANIEL HALSTED. Witnesses:

E. F. CHAMBERLIN, A. L. BAKER.- 

